Handle guided carrier and powered wheel therefor



Oct. 27, 1953 c. E. GIOVANNONI HANDLE GUIDED CARRIER AND POWERED WHEEL THEREFOR 27, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan.

INVENTOR. CASH E. G/OVANNON/ Oct. 27, 1953 c. E. GIOVANNONI HANDLE GUIDED CARRIER AND POWERED WHEEL THEREFOR 2 Shee ts-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 27, 1950 I hm m in. H

h KN INVENTOR. CASH E. 6/0 VA NNON/ A TTORNE Y8 Patented Oct. 27, 1953 HANDLE GUIDED CARRIER AND POWERED WHEEL THEREFOR Cash E. Giovannoni, Boulder City, Nev. Application January 27, 1950, Serial No. 140,888

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved motorized mono-wheel game and pack carrier of the type disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 114,860, for use by hunters and others, the primary object of the present invention being to provide a practical and serviceable device of this character which enables easier and more efiicient carrying of relatively heavy loads of game, hunters packs, and the like, over rough and hilly terrain, as well as over level ground, with a minimum of effort and fatigue.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a carrier of the character indicated above which is provided front and rear with handles for pushing, pulling and maneuvering the carrier over the ground, with the single, centered, ground engaging wheel positioned substantially midway between the ends of the carrier, and with the motor mounted at the front of the carrier in such a way that the carrier is Weighted to have a tendency to tilt forwardly, thereby facilitating working the carrier up a hill by an attendant grasping the front handles, and further, facilitating the task of a second attendant grasping the rear handles.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of a carrier of the above-indicated character wherein the controls for the motor are located on the front handles to be operated by the attendant grasping the front handles, thereby affording better control of the carrier in working over rough ground and up hills.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide a carrier of the character indicated above, wherein the motor can be disconnected from the mono-wheel, whereby the carrier can be used as a manually operated carrier when desired.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a general left-hand side elevation;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view;

' Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top plan view of the gear shift lever;

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, tive view of the motor frame;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, left-hand, side elevational, detail showing the arrangement of the shield behind the motor;

perspec- Figure 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, transverse, vertical section taken on the line 'I--'! of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, transverse, vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated carrier comprises a longitudinally elongated, horizontal carrier frame l0 comprising straight, parallely spaced side members II, II preferably consisting of light weight metal pipes or tubes, having their ends bent up at right angles at E2 and inserted and secured in the lower ends of vertical tubes l4, into whose upper ends are inserted and secured the downturned portions lb of forwardly and upwardly projecting front handles 16, and rearwardly and upwardly projecting rear handles ll, both sets of handles involving tapered, cylindrical grips l8 terminating in rounded ends IS. The rear handles I I are pivoted to turn inwardly when desired, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1.

The side members II are spaced and rigidly connected at their front ends by the motor frame comprising a front angle iron 2|] and a rear angle iron 2! spaced a short distance behind the front angle iron 20, the horizontal flanges of the angle irons resting upon the tops of the side members and being traversed by bolts 22 traversing the horizontal flanges 23 and portions 24 of pipe clamps 25 hooked under the side members l I from the outer sides of the side members, as shown in Figure 8. The angle irons 2i) and 2| are, as shown in Figure 5, spaced and rigidly connected together by laterally spaced straps or bars 25', 25' formed with holes 26' to receive bolts (not shown) for securing the motor 21 to these bars between the angle irons 2t! and 2!.

Immediately behind the vertical flange 28 of the rear angle iron 20 is secured the perpendicular shield 29 in the form of a rectangular plate extending across the carrier frame Ill and rising thereabove to a sufficient height to protect the motor 21 from being contacted by loose or incompletely packed material on the carrier frame.

Behind the shield 29 the carrier frame side members H are spaced and rigidly connected together by a plurality of boards in the form of relatively rigid, transversely elongated plane and rectangular plates 3|, 32, 33 and 34, respectively. These boards are spaced from each other along the carrier frame [0, and the rearmost board tudinal dimension than and 34, and covers the middle area of the car 3 34 has its rear edge at the rear ends of the side members H.

As shown in Figure 1, each of the boards underlies the carrier frame side members H and is fixed thereto by means of two J-bolts 35 at each end having shanks 36 traversing the boards at the inward sides of the side members H with their hooks 31 engaging over the side members. In addition the front plate 31,, and the next to rear plate.;33;;, hasq a pipe clamp 35': ateach end between the J-clamps 35 welded thereto and engaging over the tops of the side members IL;-

The plate 32 is substantiallygreater in longirier frame I0. 7

The preferably pneumatic tired, ground engaging mono-Wheel 38 grooved belt hand side thereof. The hub 39 includes an axial s e Ye 2,.wl i htur s. n; anaxle up prted n bearing assemblies; 4%,, the; sleeve 42.. ct e1t properly space the bearing assemblies and the heel f am s 1 w ch. th a e ec r d,. at the pi 'e sid s f' e Whe l 38;;

Each

hiqhl tea i ated l rafly inwa d t jo n he standard, portiongfl' having a ring portion that its lo wer je nfdtseciirabl y embracing. the: related one 2 of the bearing assemblies mi. The arms 45 terminate at; theihupper ends in front I and rear lug portions ,49Qan'd 50,; respectively, which en'- gage the under side s ot the carrier frame side members ll, at pointjsybetween the front plate 3l andjlarge plate 32 and between the large plate and the rear plate 33,; respectively. U-'-b01ts 5i engage over the side met bers'and their dependm Shanks 2: a r e. te '53 und lyin a d. secured to the;lug portions '49- "and '56 whereby the wheel frames are assembled -to the carrier frame'lQ 'yviththe axis of the mono-yvheelBd at the center ofthecarrier frame I 6,:

'Suitableload securingstraps 54, distributed at spaced intervals along the carrier frame side members, have one end secured to the side members H and are adapted to ;be buckled or tied across a load inthe manner generally indicatedin Figure l.

described adapted-to be manually moved over the 'ground-by means solelyof the frontand rear handles;With ut-theaidoi the motor 2l-=to reli'eve theattendantor-attendants of all or a major portion ot the work of pulling -and/ or pushing the 'carrier forwardlyz- The motor--21 can bea conventional type of aircooled gasoline motor mounted-in the motor frame-on the crossmembers zdwith its-shaft 56 crosswise ofthe carrierframe :lll and projecting at the left-hand side; .thereof as shown in Figure 2.=- Mounted ==on "the motor shaft-56' and swingable: forwardlytand rearwardly. thereon is a conventionalform of. gear reduction E'l' lnorma-llytensioneda'irr arearward direction by a helical. spring tionancl the rearmotor-irame angleiiron 21'. The gear. reduction1=has a groovedpulley 5'9' ;'0n-itS left-hand side arranged eccentrically with respect to themotor shaft ;562and aligned with the grooved pulley?- 60 isvtrainedioverlthe twopulleys. to connect the motor 21. to drivethe-mono-wheel'38.: In the rearwardly retracted position ofthe gear reducti'on51- "produced by the spring--58, the belt '60 is the -ot-her plates 31,; 33

has a hub 39 havinga" pulley 46 bolted at 41 to -the left-l wheel fiame45 comprises a Y-shap'eof. a i l hav n pwa dlv .divereenti rms i 6' 4 slack and fails to operatively connect the motor 21 with the mono-wheel, in which case the motor 21 is in stand-by relation and the carrier is conditioned for manual operation.

On the left-hand front handle I6 is fixedly circumposed a sleeve 6| having an upwardly projecting lug 62 thereon on which is pivoted at 63 one end of a hand lever 64 having intermediate its ends a connector 65 securing one end oiapul 1 wire amicable-6 Whose opposite end is connected at 61 to the lower" end "of the gear reduction 5'! and enters the case 68 thereof to operatively engage therein means (not shown) for eiiectinggengagementand disengagement of two different gear ratios. In the rearward positions of-ithe. hand lever 64, shown in full lines in Figure 1, the gear reduction 51 is in retracted or neutral '-position:, imwhich the slack in the belt 581stretched=between the geanrediice on the mono-wheel 38'. 1 A suitableibelt 60 resultssin disconnection of the motor 21 from the mono-wheel 38. In the vertical or intermediate position of the hand lever 64, shown in dotted lines; the gearreduction-5T is inaforward positionwherein the belt slack 'istakemup; and-the -main or higher geardrive-is effect to drive-the mono-"wheel 38. Intheforwarddotted position of "the hand lever 64; the lower gear --drive is engaged-todrive 'the mono-wheel 38; as forworking the carrier-up a-steep -hil1 or through mud: The motor throttle-control-handle 69 proj ects forwardly fromthe motor 21- betweenthe handles I 6.-

A belt protector or -hood TDcOmprises-ashet' metal form'comprising vertical, triangular si-de walls 1 i declining rearwardly withrespect to the carrier-frame and-extending rearward-1y from the forward end thereofto a point above the cen'tr ofthe mono-wheel '38, vvherebylower= rearward portions of the :sidewalls' I t extend-on opposite sides ofthe mono-Wheel--38-;- The-upperedges' of the side walls 1 4- are -welded,- as indicated-"at It in Figure 7, to the inn'en sides oi -depending: flanges 13 on- -plates 14 which are--placed against theunder sides-of the carrier frame K plates- 3 and--32; The ioi ward J-bolts" 35 0f thefron-tplate 31 and extra J-bolts -15 betWeen the-u -bolts 35 of the plate BZ- 'Secu'rably traverse the-plates to hold the? belt pr'o'tector or hood- 7 6 in placeon thehcarrier"frame lili As indicated-"in Figure 1, the. lower flight J of the-belt GIT- runs close-to the bottom 16 ofzthehoodlfl whichextends between and is connected Sta-"the rearwardly declining lower edges of -thehood 'sidewalls 'l L- The bottom 18,; as shown in:Figure'-3,' hasits forward edge :Ti apertu-red atd8 for clearance with the monowheel 33 and thebelt pulley-401 1. A mono-wheel carrier comprising a "longitudinally-"elongated horizontal frame having handles on its forward end, a'fixed mono-wheel supportedto depend from said frame. at a point midway-the opposite-ends of said frame, a motor mounted-on the forwardend "of said "frame; means --operatively-' connecting said motor "and said: mono-w-hee1;-- and control? means for said operating means mounted Onsaid-fra-mein' the region of said handles, said-operating"means comprising a driven pulley -;fix'ed onsaid monowheel, a drive pulley operatively associated with said motor, and a belt trainedover and between said" pulleys, said operating means further comprising a member pivotally supported on said frametoswing- 1 forwardly and rearwardly and carrying said drive-pulley, and spring-means normally maintaining 1 said" member i and said drive pulleyin =a rearw'ardly' swung position wherein said belt is slack and fails to operatively connect said pulleys, said control means being pivoted on one of said handles for swinging said member forwardly from retracted position to take up the slack in said belt and operatively connect said drive and driven pulleys so as to turn said mono-wheel to move the carrier forwardly over the ground while guided by the front handles.

2. A mono-wheel carrier comprising a longitudinally elongated horizontal frame having handles on its forward end, a fixed mono-wheel supported to depend from said frame at a point midway the opposite ends of said frame, a motor mounted on the forward end of said frame, means operatively connecting said motor and said mono-wheel, and control means for said operating means mounted on said frame in the region of said handles, said operating means comprising a driven pulley fixed on said monowheel, a drive pulley operatively associated with said motor, and a belt trained over and between said pulleys, said belt occupying a rearwardly declining position beneath said frame, and a rearwardly declining belt hood secured to the under side of and depending from said frame,

said belt hood comprising side walls located beneath and reaching rearwardly along opposite sides of said frame to a vertical plane passing through the wheel and driven pulley, and a bottom extending between the opposite sides of, and coextensive with, the lower edges of said side walls and apertured from its rearward end forwardly to an area just beyond the wheel periphery to provide clearance for said monowheel.

CASH E. GIOVANNONI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 211,373 Bean Jan. 14, 1879 1,764,767 Wilhelm June 17, 1930 2,126,357 Todd Aug. 9, 1938 2,239,122 Stokes Apr. 22, 1941 2,292,580 Moyer et a1. Aug. 121, 1942 2,450,304 Shiflet Sept. 23, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,968 Great Britain Nov. 13, 1913 

